The Moon Serpent
by Vixune
Summary: Estelle Lalune is a young Breton scholar who believes that her destiny is to find a way to permanently kill the Daedric Princes. However, when her travels take her to Skyrim, she finds that destiny may take her somewhere she does not want to go. But with the help of a certain Companion werewolf, perhaps she may be able to maintain her humanity in this dark quest.
1. Chapter 1

Both Secunda and Masser were full that night. Vilkas was very grateful for the extra light, because the runaway was a slippery one. He had chased him all the way past the Cyrodiil border and into the wilderness before the trail went cold. He knew he couldn't be far. Only a fool wouldn't stop to make camp. Still, he could be out wandering for hours before he stumbled into him. He grit his teeth. He could only think of one thing to do. Atleast He was far enough away from civilization that he shouldn't have to worry.

Vilkas set his belongings in some bushes near a distinguished looking tree, including his armor and clothing. He then reached deep inside himself to the power that lay dormant in his soul. As his body transformed, so too did his senses.

When the transformation was complete, he inhaled deeply, letting the symphony of scents fill him. A grin cracked his wolfish lips. Yes, he could smell them clearly. There were two humans in the area. One male and one female, both human. But the male was the only one he wanted. He could smell his campfire too. It was about a mile southeast.

Vilkas dashed in that direction, his body drinking the adrenaline that flowed through him. The stronger the scent became, the stronger his bloodlust. When he caught a glimpse of the poor sod through the trees, he didn't even give him a chance to look up, let alone defend himself. He pounced and ripped out his throat, but not before he had a chance to let out a scream to pierce the silence of the night.

This next part was one that he dreaded. The part of him that was still a man protested vehemently, but the beast wouldn't hear it. He ripped open the chest cavity of the poor sod and sank his muzzle into the open chest cavity in search of the heart.

Just as he was about to swallow the heart, a searing pain pierced his right shoulder. He scrambled out of the way before another arrow could claim him. He turned to face his attacker, no doubt the woman he smelled earlier heard the runaway's scream and came running. By the light of the moons, he could see that the woman wore blue robes and a horn-shaped amulet. She was a Vigilant of Stendarr. Damn, of all the rotten luck. Anyone else would have turned tail and ran when they heard the scream.

Before she could even knock another arrow, he dashed towards her and knocked the bow out of her hands and knocked her to the ground. But before he could properly pin her, her right hand came forward and held a blade with a blue aura to his throat. A conjured sword? Strange, conjuration was nearly unheard of for Vigilants to study. It didn't matter, he was about to crush her left arm that he had pinned and break it, but he felt his body tense. Damn, he was changing back into a man.

The Vigilant hesitated as she watched. His grip loosened on her left arm as he transformed. She used her left arm to cast a candle light spell. The dim features of her face became illuminated. For a split second, he thought she may be a werewolf too, for her large round eyes shone silver in the light of the spell. But as his eyes adjusted, he saw that they were grey. Soft, yet intense, like storm clouds. She had a small nose and a small mouth with full lips. If she wasn't trying to kill him, he might have found her attractive. He guessed she was a Breton. And for some reason, she kept gazing at him instead of plunging her sword into his throat. He wasn't sure how long her eyes were locked with his before he found his voice.

"Well, wench? What are you waiting for? Aren't you going to slit my throat?"

"You're in pain." She said simply

"Of course I'm in pain, you shot me!"

"I meant your soul."

Vilkas blinked. What in Oblivion was he supposed to say to that? But she spoke first.

"Um, maybe you should get off me now and put some clothes on." She said as she finally unlocked her eyes from his.

His cheeks turned pink as he slowly retreated "I don't suppose you have any spare clothes for me?"

She sat up and turned away. "None that would fit you. But um, your victim looked about your size."

"Victim? This man raped and brutally murdered dozens of people. I chased him down because he escaped from prison." Vilkas said as he walked over to what remained of the runaway. The trousers should work, but the tunic was torn, not that it would fit over the arrow sticking out of his back anyway.

"Perhaps you should let me tend to that wound." the woman said as she approached, after she had given him ample time to dress.

Vilkas scoffed "Why should I trust you to touch me?"

The woman raised an eyebrow "First off, I don't think you have a choice, as I doubt you can tend to it yourself. Second, if I wanted to kill you, I would have done it when I had my blade to your throat."

Vilkas sighed heavily. He had to admit, she was right on both counts. He sat down by the fire and the woman approached him. He grimaced as she pulled the arrow out of him. He grimaced even more when he felt her hand tingling with magicka on his wound.

"What in Oblivion are you doing?"

"Um, healing you. What did you think I meant when I said I'd tend to your wound?" She said as if he was dense.

"I don't like magic being used on me."

"Pfft. Nords." She said as she continued to heal him.

Once again, he didn't argue, as he had to admit, it was certainly convenient to have his wound healed so easily. He had many questions for this woman, so he started with the one that was on the forefront of his mind.

"So why did you decide not to kill me?"

"I'm not entirely sure, I just lost the will to kill you."

Vilkas scoffed "You fancy yourself a compassionate woman? Vigilants are not known for their compassion towards werewolves."

"I used to be a compassionate woman. And for a moment, I remembered that. Or maybe it was just the will of the Divines. Maybe it was fate. Whatever it is, I've accepted it."

"You got a name?"

"Does it matter? After tonight, you'll likely never see me again."

"Didn't you just say it was fate or the Divine's will that stayed your hand? Why should the fates introduce us if we never bother to introduce ourselves?"

A soft chuckle escaped her lips "I must admit, you got me there. It's Estelle Lalune. And you?"

"Vilkas."

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Vilkas. Well, your wound has healed. You may be on your way."

"Why would I go? It's dark out, and there's a perfectly good camp right here."

"Alright, then all be on my way." Estelle turned to go, but stopped and frowned.

"What's the matter?"

"I um, seemed to have gotten disoriented. I was in such a rush to get here, I didn't take note of where I came from." Estelle said as she guiltily scratched the back of her neck.

Vilkas sighed "I see no reason we can't share the camp. It wouldn't be wise to go searching for your old one right now."

Estelle sighed as well "I suppose I have no choice, but I will request that you properly dispose of the remains of your runaway. I really don't want to look at it."

"Squeamish, are you? I don't mind it, if you want it cleaned up so bad, you should do it yourself." Who does she think she is, ordering him around like that?

"I healed you, you ungrateful oaf, you owe me." Her words were harsh, but the expression on her face was something else, a combination of fear, distress, and a soul-deep pain.

Whatever that look on her face was, he found it even harder to argue with than her words. He rolled his eyes, but did as she asked and removed the corpse and buried it in a shallow grave. When he returned, Estelle was cooking some meat over the fire.

"Thank you. And I apologize for being snappy earlier, I just… Are you hungry?"

"No, but a song might be nice." Vilkas said as he spied the flute sticking out of her bag. He was hoping a bit of music would relieve some of the tension between them.

"A song? You don't strike me as the type who appreciates music."

"And you don't strike me as the type who plays it. So will you?"

"I suppose, let me finish eating."

"Are you a bard?"

"Oh no, just something I picked up as a girl for fun, so don't expect much." She spoke in between bites of food. "Do you play any instruments?"

"Naw, never had the patience for it, but I appreciate a good tune."

Estelle nodded. "Don't we all?"

She hastily finished eating and then took out her flute. The tune that emerged was simple, but stirring. There was an edge of bitterness to it, as if she were pouring all of her bleakness into the song.

"I told you I wasn't that good," Estelle said when she finished and Vilkas didn't say anything.

"You were fine. I was just hoping for something more relaxing, a lullaby maybe. Do you know any?"

Estelle fidgeted with her flute "Well, there is one, I haven't played it in awhile though."

The song began clumsily, as one might expect from someone who hadn't played it in awhile, but once her fingers settled in, the resulting tune was soothing and beautiful. Again, it was a simple tune, but it filled Vilkas with warmth as he listened to it. And yet the warmth turned into a hollow pain so gradually that he was genuinely surprised when he felt his eyes tear up. There was a deep sadness coming through in her music, and he could tell that it was getting to her as well. There was a small skip in the notes as her hands shook ever so slightly. She was so engrossed in her performance that she didn't even notice when Vilkas came over and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up with a start and Vilkas saw that there were tears in her eyes.

"You don't have to go on, you play beautifully. Thank you for that performance."

Estelle's expression softened into a warm smile as she put down her flute and wiped her eyes "Careful now, keep this up and I may begin to stop disliking you."

Vilkas chuckled "I suppose a werewolf and a Vigilant of Stendarr shouldn't be friends. Although I've never met a Vigilant who knows conjuration magic."

"It's a long story."

"I have time."

Estelle hesitated "Tell you what, if we really do meet again, I'll tell you the whole story. But for now, I really am tired, I think I'd like to retire."

"Suit yourself."

If he was being honest, Vilkas was quite tired too. He couldn't actually sleep restfully, as he was a werewolf, but it was nice to rest. As he lay awake, he couldn't help but wish he would run into her again, this mysterious conjuring Vigilant of Stendarr who couldn't handle the sight of a mutilated corpse and cried when she played her own music. He must have atleast fallen half asleep, for when he awoke the next morning, she was already gone.

 _Author's Note: In my head, the first song that Estelle plays is "Paint It Black" by the Rolling Stones. Obviously, that song doesn't exist in this world, but for some reason this song makes me think of her. The second song, I imagined her playing the song "Dango Daikazoku" which is the ending theme song for the anime Clannad. If you haven't seen it, I recommend it, it's a beautiful series. Anywho, that's my first chapter, I hope you enjoy reading my ramblings as much as I enjoy writing them!_


	2. Chapter 2

At the first light of dawn, Estelle was up and looking for her old camp. After about an hour of searching and backtracking, she let out an audible sigh of relief when she found it. Since she brought her bag with her when she left the camp the night before, all that remained when she returned were a few charred logs, her tent, her bedroll and a single book.

She knelt beside her bedroll and picked up the book the lay on top of it; _On Daedric Curses by Eloise Lalune._ She had been rereading this the night before, when she heard the distant scream. She wasn't sure why. She had already read it gods knew how many times already, and she found nothing that helped her with her own research. Maybe because it was one of the few traces of her mother that remained on Nirn. Whatever the reason, she put the book into her bag and headed north.

She realized that she very easily could have hired a courier to take her delivery to the College of Winterhold, but something inexplicable was telling her to do it herself, and she rarely disregarded her instincts. Although if she was being honest with herself, it wasn't something inexplicable, she had to go through Skyrim to get to High Rock. Granted, Winterhold was in the opposite direction of High Rock, but it was still the closest she had been to home in awhile. She wondered how her father and sister were doing. She wondered if her sister Cherise had officially become a Priestess of Mara. Probably. She wondered if her father remarried. Probably not. But mostly, she wondered if they wanted to see her again. Probably not. They made it clear they didn't approve of her joining the Vigilants of Stendarr and they hadn't spoken since. She had spent the last few years running around Cyrodiil and Morrowind slaughtering werewolves, vampires, cultists, and any other abominations of the Daedric princes. She had hoped venturing with them would give her clues to help her fulfill her destiny, but she found slaughtering was all they did. She was a scholar, first and foremost. Perhaps that was also a reason she was being drawn to Skyrim, Winterhold in particular. They had a fine college, or so she heard, maybe spending time there would help her complete her research.

And then her mind went to the young werewolf she met the night before. She was beginning to regret leaving so hastily without finding out where she could meet him again. The pain she saw when she looked into his eyes indicated that he was a victim, not a monster. It was people like him that began her on her mission in the first place. Perhaps he would be willing to help her on her mission, although he clearly wasn't a scholar. For the brief time that she spent with him, she remembered the woman she was before she joined the Vigilants; before she became a cold-blooded killer. Then again, if she was to complete her mission, perhaps it is best if she remained a cold-blooded killer. Surely, such a task could not be done be a compassionate woman. Perhaps it was best if she didn't see Vilkas again. But she would leave that to fate.

After several hours of travel, she came across some soldiers. That's right, Skyrim was in the middle of a civil war. These didn't look like the legion uniforms, so they must be the rebel faction. She kept her head low and kept moving. The soldiers seemed to content with this, but she could feel their eyes on her as she walked past them. She didn't think she was even twenty paces from the group when the first arrow flew and struck one of the rebel soldiers. Within seconds, the quiet afternoon was broken by the sounds screaming soldiers and clashing steel.

Estelle turned on her heel and ran in the opposite direction. She had only made it a few steps when an arrow pierced her in the back of the leg and she stumbled to the ground. She rolled over to see two legionnaires descending upon her, brandishing swords. Her hands lit up with purple and black magicka and a portal opened up between her and the soldiers and a frost atronach stepped out. Estelle tried to mend her wound as the atronach fought for her, but it soon became apparent that the rebels had lost. When the atronach went back to Oblivion, and she still couldn't stand up with the arrow still stuck in her leg, it became apparent that she lost too. Some soldiers dragged her off the ground and starting binding her hands.

"What is the meaning of this?" She snarled.

"You are under arrest for treason."

"Treason?" her voice rose with every word "I'm not a rebel! You just attacked a civilian! You are the ones that should be punished for…"

And with one swift crack on the head from the hilt of the sword, she was out cold.

/

The sound of constant grinding filled Estelle's ears as she slowly returned to consciousness. She brought her hands up to rub her eyes awake, only to find that they were bound together. She looked around and saw that she was aboard a wagon with three men, all of whom had their hands bound as well.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me." Estelle groaned as her memory returned.

"Hey you, you're finally awake." She seemed to have caught the attention of the young rebel soldier sitting in front of her "You were trying to cross the border, walked right into that Imperial ambush."

There was almost amusement in his tone, and this annoyed Estelle greatly. There was nothing funny about this.

"Damn you, Stormcloaks! Skyrim was just fine until you came along! The Empire was nice and lazy. If they hadn't been looking for you, I could have stolen that horse and been halfway to Hammerfell." The man next to the soldier said.

"We're all brothers and sisters in binds now, thief."

"Shut up back there." The driver said.

"What's with him?" The thief said to the man next to Estelle, who had remained silent due to his gag.

"Watch your tongue! You're speaking to Ulfric Stormcloak, the true high king!"

"Ulfric? The Jarl of Windhelm? You're the leader of the rebellion. But if they've captured you… Oh Gods! Where are they taking us?"

"I don't know where we're going, but Sovngarde awaits."

"No, this can't be happening, this isn't happening!"

Estelle clenched her fists. As soon as the legion found out she was neither a rebel nor a thief, they would have to let her go, right? Although this wouldn't solve all of her problems, as she didn't know the whereabouts of her traveling gear. If she ended up losing her delivery because of this mix up, there would be Oblivion to pay.

"Hey, what village are you from, horse thief?"

"What do you care?"

"A Nord's last thoughts should be of home."

"Rorikstead. I'm from Rorikstead."

She wasn't a Nord, and she was certainly hoping these would not be her last thoughts, but still, her mind went back to her childhood home…

/

"Now, say you're sorry and I'll send it back!" Estelle said smugly with her arms crossed.

But the little girl cowering behind the tree seemed too frightened to even speak, as the spectral wolf at Estelle's side snarled at her. But that was alright, even if she didn't get her apology, the message was clear. But her power trip was short-lived as the spectral wolf whimpered and disappeared.

"Hey, what the…?" But when Estelle saw the furious look on her mother's face, her smug expression turned to one of fear.

"Estelle! What do you think you're doing? How could you do that to your little sister?"

The frightened child ran crying into her father's arms.

"It's not my fault. Cherise was reading my diary again! I told her not to do that!"

"I don't care what she did, you do not threaten your sister with something you summoned from Oblivion! Ever!"

"Estelle, go to your room, we will figure out your punishment later!" Her father snarled.

Estelle trudged back to the house. She went to her room and sat on her bed and picked up her diary. Stupid Cherise. She was probably going to tell everyone that she had a crush on Olivier. Or worse, that she had been snooping around her mother's study to try to learn magic. Although she was pretty sure her mother already knew about that by now. After some time passed, there was a knock on the door.

"Go away!"

"Estelle? It's your mother. I promise I'm not going to yell at you if you let me in."

"Okay." Estelle said, but when her mother came into the room, she didn't look at her.

"I just wanted to ask you where you learned to summon a familiar."

"A spell book in your study."

Her mother raised an eyebrow as she sat down next to her.

"You promised you wouldn't yell."

"I'm not, but you know I don't want you in there. I do have a lot of important and sometimes dangerous experiments going on in there."

"I know, that's why I never touch anything else. Just the books. Anyway, I found the one about summoning a familiar, and I thought it looked easy, so I tried it."

"I see, not many ten year olds can do that. I think you are destined to be a fine mage, even among Bretons."

Estelle smiled a little "You really think so?"

Her mother smiled back "I do. Since the day you were born, under the sign of the Serpent, I've always believed you were destined for something great. However, if you ever do what you did today, you won't live to see what that destiny is, you got that?"

Estelle rolled her eyes "Fine."

/

"Huh?" Estelle said.

"I said 'who are you?'" The young legion soldier said to her.

Estelle shook her thoughts away and spoke. "My name is Estelle Lalune. I'm a Vigilant of Stendarr and a Daedric scholar. I was on my way to Winterhold to make a delivery when I got caught up in an ambush."

"Hm, doesn't seem like you should be here. Captain? What should we do? She's not on the list!"

"Forget the list. She goes to the block."

Estelle blinked "Excuse me?"

"I heard about you. You released a daedra on the Imperial legion."

For a moment, Estelle was too stunned to speak "You attacked me, I defended myself!"

"A likely excuse."

"You can't do this! Do you even realize what you're doing? I am engrossed in incredibly important research, and to kill me would be throw it all away."

"Research?"

"I am searching for a way to permanently kill the Daedric Princes!"

Nearly everyone within earshot erupted in laughter. Estelle simply continued to stare with a straight face at the captain. It's not like she wasn't used to this.

"Get her out of my sight."

Estelle moved with the other prisoners.

"Did you really think a story like that would work?" the rebel soldier that had sat in front of her on the wagon said. Turned out his name was Ralof.

"It isn't a story, that really was the focus of my research."

"Well, if you see them when you die, maybe you can ask them how to kill them."

Estelle said nothing. She knew he was making a joke, but she didn't feel like humoring him. She heard there were people who coped with grim situations with humor, but she was not one of those people. She spoke not a word as the next few moments past. So this was what her life and years of study would accumulate to; nothing. She was to die before making a dent in her research or doing anything useful besides ridding the world of a few cultists. Destined for something great indeed. Her anger had turned cold by the time they called her to the block. But as she waited for death, a black creature in the sky caught her attention. The creature landed on the building behind the executioner, and just as he was about to drop the axe on her neck, the creature let out a roar that shook the ground beneath her feet, sending the executioner flying. Her destiny, it would seem, was just beginning.


	3. Chapter 3

As soon as Vilkas entered Jorrvaskr, he was greeted with the sounds of the Companions… well, being Companions.

"Are those two at it again?" Skjor's voice said over the ensuing ruckus.

As a crowd formed, Vilkas went to join them. In the middle of the gathering, Njada and Athis were brawling as the rest of the Companions cheered them on. He smiled inwardly. Some things never change.

"Welcome back, Shield-brother." Aela said as she noticed him standing next to her "The hunt went well?"

"Eventually. He made it all the way to Cyrodiil before I caught up with him. But he now lies dead in the wilderness and we were handsomely rewarded." He said as he produced a heavy bag of gold.

"Ah, so that's why you took so long."Aela said.

"I don't suppose I missed anything interesting while I was gone?"

The noise died down as it became clear that Njada won the fight. The crowd began to disperse. So Farkas's response could be heard quite clearly.

"Dragons have returned to Skyrim."

Vilkas snorted a laugh "Good one, my brother."

But no one else in the room laughed. In fact, they looked grim.

"But, that's impossible." Vilkas said slowly.

"If you don't believe it, you should go to the western watchtower. The corpse should still be there, although I heard that all the flesh immediately burned away, so you'll just find a skeleton." Aela said.

His eyes widened "Corpse? So not only are there dragons about, but someone capable of killing them as well?" Vilkas said.

"Yeah, the dragonborn killed it." Farkas said.

For a moment, Vilkas was speechless. But he supposed if dragons had returned, it would make sense for a dragonborn to appear as well. But still, to think there was one in Whiterun, and he had a chance to meet them "Who is this dragonborn?"

"Some Breton mage who appeared out of nowhere. She was also summoned by the Greybeards. I don't even know if she's still in town or not." Aela said

"Breton mage?" It couldn't be _her,_ could it? "Did you catch her name?"

"No, she's kinda kept to herself." Farkas said.

"Hm, you said the corpse was by the western watchtower?" Vilkas said.

"That's right." Aela said.

"I think I'll take a look."

/

The setting sun did nothing to dull the gleam in the huge white bones that stuck out in the golden grasses. He didn't doubt Aela and Farkas, as they had no reason to lie to him, but being in the presence of this massive skeleton was so surreal it felt like a dream. He put a hand on what remained of the snout. How he wished he could have seen the battle that took place here, or better yet, participated in it.

As he walked back to Whiterun, his mind went to Estelle. She certainly fit the description of a female Breton mage from out of nowhere. And since she left before him, and he had to make a stop in Windhelm to collect his payment before returning to Whiterun, it was definitely plausible that she could have made it to Whiterun first. Estelle was certainly a capable fighter, otherwise she would not have survived their encounter, but was she capable of slaying a dragon? Then again, "female Breton mage" fit the description of a lot of people on Tamriel. Whoever the dragonborn was, he was certain he'd find out eventually, as information like this doesn't stay hidden for long.

He was so lost in thought that when he entered the Whiterun gates, he nearly bumped into someone.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't see… Estelle?"

For a split second, he thought he had run into Ysolda. She and Estelle both had chin-length light auburn hair, a detail he missed last time they met, as her hair was under a hood. And she had ditched her robes for a dress the same color as the one Ysolda usually wore. Although he quickly realized the person he had run into was several inches shorter than Ysolda. And that was definitely Estelle's face, and she looked just as surprised as he felt.

"Vilkas? Is that you? I almost didn't recognize you with all that war paint. What are you doing here?"

"I live here. What are you doing here?"

"I was actually just leaving."

"Leaving town? It's getting late, though don't you think?"

Estelle shrugged "I was just going to take a carriage, I can manage, and I have places to be. Besides, I'm getting tired of all the attention."

"Attention? I don't suppose you're the dragonborn I've heard so much about?"

"Oh, you've already heard about that?"

His eyes widened "So that dragon corpse out by the Western watchtower, you slayed that?"

Estelle smirked "Well, I can't take all the credit. Irileth was there, along with several guards. But I did absorb its soul."

"So, can you Shout then?"

Her smirk widened into a grin "Would you like to see?"

Before he could reply (because, really, who would refuse?) she turned her head away from him and Shouted.

"FUS"

A wave of energy rippled through the air. Estelle turned her face back to Vilkas and giggled at the stunned expression on his face. Vilkas couldn't help but smile as well.

"I'm actually glad I ran into you again. I regret leaving so hastily" Estelle said.

"Oh?" for some reason, Vilkas's heart fluttered a little "Why is that?"

"I was hoping you could help me with something. Can we talk privately? I can take the carriage later. In fact, I'm pretty sure the driver would prefer that as well."

Vilkas nodded "Follow me."

Estelle followed Vilkas through the streets of Whiterun. Most of the citizens had either retreated to their homes or the Bannered Mare by now, and she was grateful for this, as she had accidentally become famous overnight.

"This place…" Estelle said as he led her to the doors of a rather distinct-looking building.

"This is Jorrvaskr." Vilkas said.

"Jorrvaskr…" she said slowly as if trying to remember where she heard that word before "Are you a Companion?"

Vilkas preened a little "I'm a member of the Circle."

"Does that mean you're one of the leaders?"

"More or less."

"Wow. Do, um, do the others know?" she said discreetly, even though no one else was there.

He knew what she was talking about. He had just met this woman, he wasn't going to spill the Companions best kept secret, so he just said "Some of them." It wasn't a lie.

She nodded. He led her through the doors. Most of the Companions were drinking at the table around the hearth. He was hoping he could inconspicuously slip by without being noticed.

"Hey Vilkas! Who's that woman you're taking to your bedroom?" Torvar hollered, which was followed by laughter from the rest of the Companions.

Vilkas groaned "Shut it, Torvar, she's a client."

He led her down the stairs and the noise was muffled

"Sorry about that." He muttered.

She chuckled "I would have expected no less. Although, I'll have you know, I'm celibate. I don't want any distractions from my research."

"Research?"

"Yes, my research is what I wanted to talk to you about."

He led her into his quarters and offered her a seat at his table.

"I don't know how you think I can help you. I'm not a mage or a scholar." He said as he took a seat in front of her.

"No, but you do have a connection to one of the Daedric Princes."

He narrowed his eyes at her "Exactly what kind of research are you doing?"

She inhaled and then let out a deep breath "I'm looking for a way to permanently kill the Daedric Princes."

To her surprise, he didn't laugh at her. But he didn't say anything for awhile. Rather he continued to stare at her and she was unable to read his expression.

Vilkas didn't speak immediately because he didn't know what to say to that. For a moment, he thought she might be joking, but it was clear from the expression on her face that she was serious.

"That's quite an ambition." He finally said.

"I know, that's why I wanted your help."

"You think my connection to Hircine will help you? In what way?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure yet. But at this point, it would help me to establish you as an ally. For the past few years, I've been traveling with the Vigilants of Stendarr. I figured if anyone knew anything about the daedra princes, it would be their worhsippers, and if anyone knew how to hunt down daedra worshippers, it was them…"

/

The stench of blood was strong in the air in the area surrounding the den. Estelle clapped her hands together to form a purple-black vortex of magicka.

"What are you doing?" One of the accompanying Vigilants snapped "I thought we told you not to summon those wretched things!"

Estelle scowled at him "If we're going against vampires, we need all the help we can get. But if you insist on being difficult, would you be opposed to my conjuring a weapon?"

"Since you don't have the good sense to carry your own weapons, there's little choice."

Estelle scoffed "You're the ones without any sense, weighing yourselves down with weapons when they can easily be summoned."

"That's enough, you two! We have work to do." the leader of the group snapped.

"Remember what I said about not killing all of them, I need at least one alive, preferably he master." Estelle said, but they were already moving.

The stench of blood and decay only got stronger as they went in. Estelle grit her teeth. If it was for the cause, she would withstand anything. Fortunately, they moved quickly through the den, as it was unbecoming of Vigilants to sneak around like common thieves. When they came upon the vampires, they hit fast and hard. Estelle summoned a battleaxe and joined in the carnage. When there were none left alive but the master vampire, Estelle saw that he was on his knees and crawling away.

"Oh no you don't!" One of her comrades rushed towards him with his warhammer raised.

"Stop!" Estelle exclaimed "I told you not to kill the Master!"

The Vigilant glared at her but obeyed "Do you really think you can get anything useful out of him?"

"I'll never know until I try, that's the problem with your type who kill first and ask questions later. If you took my approach, there may come a day when you don't have to hunt vampires anymore."

Estelle quickly but thoroughly bound the dying vampire. Then she placed her hands on him and a short burst of healing energy shot into his body

"What are you doing?" her comrade snarled.

"I can't get any information out of him if he dies on me, now can I?" She looked at the vampire. He was still weak, but he looked further from the brink of death than he had before. "How old are you?"

"Why should I tell you anything?" He spat.  
A slow flame erupted from her hand "because if you tell me, I will stop doing this."

"One-hundred and ninety two!" he screeched.

She halted her flames "Hm, I was hoping you'd be older. No matter. Still, there must be something you can tell me about Molag Bal. Now I am very interested in his dark anchors, you know, the ones he used to instigate Planemeld, you are familiar with that event, right?"

"Do you really think Molag Bal would disclose such information to me?" The vampire grunted.

"Are you not one of his devout creations?"

"Molag Bal is lord of domination. While I am greater than you lowly mortals, I am still an insect compared to him."

"So you have no information that could help me?"

"Even if I did, I wouldn't reveal it to a Stendarr's bitch like you!" the vampire snarled.

"Hm, I see." Estelle sighed and stood up and addressed her comrades "I have no further use for him. Do as you see fit."

"Wait! No!"

But the warhammer silenced him before he could say anymore.

/

"Most of our raids went something like that. That's why I decided I needed a different approach." Estelle said to Vilkas. "I think I'd get more fruitful results if I interrogated willing subjects. I think that's why fate brought us together."

"Fate?"

"You feel it too, don't you? Isn't that why you asked me to tell you my story if we met again?"

"I thought I was just being curious."

Estelle cocked her head "You were just curious about me?"

"Of course I was curious. You were a Vigilant of Stendarr who used conjuration magic. That doesn't add up. It is natural for one to feel curious when faced with inconsistencies."

Estelle raised an eyebrow and smiled "Curiosity is a sign of intelligence, you know. And the fact that you expressed that thought so eloquently is also indicative of your intelligence."

He blushed, in spite of himself, but quickly shook it away "Why were you interrogating this vampire on Planemeld?"

"Think about it, Planemeld was an event in which Molag Bal tried to drag Nirn to Coldharbor. Well, what if the opposite could be done? What if we could drag Coldharbour to Nirn?"

"Why would you want to do that?"

"If bringing Nirn to Coldharbour gives him control over Nirn, maybe the opposite would be true if we brought Coldharbour to Nirn. I've always theorized that their immortality is linked to their own plane of Oblivion, if that makes sense."

"It does, but Planemeld happened almost a thousand years ago."

"That's why I went after vampires. Not only do they have a direct connection to Molag Bal, I also thought there was a decent chance I could find someone who had lived during the time of Planemeld. By the gods, to be able to study such a thing, can you imagine?"

Vilkas couldn't help but smile at her. Usually, when mages talked about their work, he tuned them out. They either bored him or they spoke with an air of arrogance that made him unwilling to listen to them. Her research was anything but boring and her excitement was admittedly endearing.

"You're quite a curious woman yourself." He said.

Estelle smiled a little and blushed. He didn't know if he meant it as a compliment, but it was clear that she took it that way, and he was okay with that.

"I used to be…"

/

Estelle gently knocked on the doorway to her mother's study "Hey, mother? What are you working on?"

Eloise looked up from her desk "Oh, hello Estelle. I'm not working on anything in particular right now, just grinding up some void salts, but if you wanted to help, I would certainly appreciate it."

"Sure."

Lately, Estelle had joined her mother in her study so often that she had her own chair and space on the desk. She sat down and picked up a mortar and pestle set.

"So, Estelle, are you still thinking of becoming a scholar?"

Estelle lit up "Of course! What else would I do?"

"Have you thought about what you want to study?"

"Lately I've been fascinated by Black Books, are you familiar with them?"

"Black Books? Like those of Hermaeus Mora?"

"Exactly! Have you heard of what they can do?"

"Unless I'm mistaken, someone reads one, and they are taken directly to Apocrypha?"

"Sort of. Just their consciousness is. And their body remains on Nirn. Anyway, I'm interested in the implications of the Black Books, that the consciousness can travel to other places and the body is somewhere else. Have you ever heard of other instances of something like that happening?"

"I've heard of the Psijic Order being able to do things like that. But they're very secretive, I doubt they would make that information public."

"Well, what if you could travel to other places mentally? Like to other planes of Oblivion, or maybe even Aetherius? I mean, either Oblivion or Aetherius is where a lot of people's consciousness go after they die right? Has anyone ever done research on the mental plane? I mean, what if the mental plane is just another plane of existence, like Oblivion or Aetherius, that connects us to Oblivion and Auetherius? What if we have ready access to Oblivion through our own minds? I mean, Aetherius only exists on the mental level as the Aedra had to give up their physical form to make Nirn…"

"Slow down, Estelle, I'm having a hard time keeping up with you."

"Oh, sorry." Estelle said.

"Don't apologize, it's great that you're curious. Curiosity is a sign of intelligence, you know. That sounds like an excellent field of research to go into. I would love to see the end results of such research."

Estelle beamed "Okay."

/

"I must admit, I do miss my old research projects. But I must do what I must do." Estelle said.

"But why must you do it?" Vilkas said.

"Think of how much better the world will be if I accomplish this! There will never be instances like Planemeld or the Oblivion Crisis ever again!"

"Before I agree to help you, I must ask, do you plan to kill all of the Daedric Princes?"

"Certainly not. I imagine I'd be hunted down by every Orc in Tamriel if I were to kill Malacath. But think about it. I could kill Hircine for you, and then you'd be free of your curse, that is what you want, isn't it?"

"Even if it is what I want, what about the others? I may not enjoy being a werewolf, but there are those that do. They have full control of their beast and manage to never harm an innocent. To them, you'd be taking away a gift, a vital part of them." Vilkas said, thinking of Aela and Skjor.

Estelle scoffed "What is there to enjoy about being a werewolf?"

"Needless to say, the power, and the thrill of the hunt. I don't completely understand, but I don't have to. All I know is that it would be wrong to take that gift away from someone who values it."

"Fine!" Estelle snapped "I'll keep Hircine alive! I wouldn't even mind keeping Molag Bal and Mehrunes Dagon alive if I could just kill one."

"And which one would that be?"

"Namira." Every sound that came out of Estelle's mouth was dripping with malice "What good could come of keeping a monster like that alive? Her sphere is revulsion. Nobody needs that. Anyone who follows her should die."

"It sounds like this is personal. Are you sure this is for the advancement of knowledge and not revenge?"

"And what if it is revenge? Think of the bigger picture. If I could kill just one, maybe that would set the others straight. Maybe they would think twice before ruining the lives of mortals for their own amusement."

"I suppose I can't argue with that."

There was a brief moment of silence.

"So why do you seek revenge against Namira?" Vilkas said.

"You really want to know?"

"You promised to tell me your story if ever we met again. I'm guessing this is a big part of it."

Estelle took a deep breath and exhaled heavily "Yes, it is."


	4. Chapter 4

It was a pleasant spring day when Estelle decided to surprise her family with a visit.

"Estelle!" her father pulled her into a hug as soon as he opened the door "Come in! I was just about to start lunch."

Estelle walked into her old childhood home, and was greeted by the aroma of fresh ingredients. She had never had better cooking than her fathers.

"Estelle? Is that you?" Cherise's voice was heard from the other room.

"Cherise! Are you still living here? You're almost twenty, isn't it time you left your parents' house?" but she greeted her sister with an affectionate hug.

"And miss out on father's cooking? Yeah right. Besides, why move? Father is training me. I've been official recognized as an acolyte."

"Congratulations! I'm sure you'll be a fine priestess of Mara in no time."

Estelle looked over and saw that her father only set three places at the table.

"Where's mother?"

"She's out doing field work. I honestly suspected her back sooner. She's been gone five days now." Her father said.

"Where did she go?"

"She was tipped off about the location of a cult of Namira." Her father said. "Said she hardly has a chance to study Namira related things, as her worshippers are usually very secretive. I can see why, they're usually nasty."

"I'm sure she just got caught up in her work." Estelle said, trying to ignore the growing pit in her stomach.

"I hope so. Although she said she wouldn't be gone for more than three days, she just wanted to check the place out."

"Do you know where the cult is located?"

"If you go to her study, there should be a map with some notes. Are you going to go look for her?"

"Yes, just to confirm that she's okay, and maybe I can learn something from them for my research too."

"We would appreciate that. But stay for awhile first. Lunch is almost ready."

/

It was evening when Estelle reached the den. The smell was overwhelming, a horrid combination of human waste and decay. No wonder there was so little scholarly work done on Namira. Her followers were unapproachable. But she supposed that was to be expected of the Lady of Decay. She went into the lair with her breath held. She knew she couldn't keep it up, but some respite was better than none.

She saw a light ahead and approached cautiously. The light was a candle by an altar and there were three people gathered around the altar. She crept forward slowly, as she didn't know how they would react to her. But unfortunately for her, stealth wasn't her strong suit, so when she got close enough, they heard her and turned to look at her.

She was about to tell them that she meant no harm, but when she saw the faces of the cultists she lost all ability to think. All three of them had bloody fingers and flesh dangling from their mouths. But that was nothing compared to what she saw on the altar. It was a human body. Or at least, what remained of one. The stomach cavity was completely open, with bloody entrails trailing out. And bits of rib. The right arm that limply fell off the altar was nothing but a skeleton, as it looked like the flesh had already been eaten. One of the cultists was startled by Estelle's appearance and moved out of the way and revealed the face of their meal. It was Estelle's mother.

She didn't even feel the bile rising in her stomach. Vomit filled her mouth and dripped out of it. The cultists, knowing that they had been caught, took out weapons. This changed Estelle's emotions from shock to a soul-consuming rage. First, she summoned her flame atronach, and then a bound battle axe. She struck down the cultists as they fury overflowed from her soul and into her hands.

She regretted killing them so quickly. They deserved to suffer more. So she continued to cleave at the faces of the dead cultists until her axe disappeared from her hands. What was left of their heads was a mess of brain matter, skull bits, blood, as well as bits of eyeball and tongue. It was the most gruesome thing she had ever done, but she didn't care. They would be left here to rot, that should please their damned mistress.

She walked slowly over to what remained of her mother. She tried to keep her eyes on her mothers face, as that was the only part of her still intact. She let out an anguished howl that could have been heard in Aetherius. Those cultists deserved to rot in this place, but not her. But she had no idea how she was going to get her out. She would have to find someone to help her give what remained of her a proper funeral.

/

"That was three years ago. We were never the same after that. My father went into a deep depression and quit the priesthood. Cherise kept training, in fact she buried herself in her work. I think that was her coping mechanism, to stay so busy that she had nothing else to think about. As for myself, I just couldn't get rid of the anger, no matter what I did. I told you that I joined the Vigilants of Stendarr so that they could help me with my research, well, that's actually why I stayed with them. I actually initially joined the Vigilants of Stendarr, so I could root out and kill every Namira cultist I could find. My father and sister weren't happy about that. They hated seeing that my rage consumed me like that. But for awhile, my rage was all I had. After I slaughtered my fair share of cultists, I realized that that would never be enough. As long as Namira herself lived, there would always be those who would follow her, and kill and eat anyone unfortunate enough to cross their paths. That's when I decided I'd find a way to kill her permanently."

There was a moment of silence. Vilkas didn't know at what point he had started holding her hand, but she didn't shake him away. What does one say after hearing such an awful story?

"Well, that's my story, what's yours?" Estelle pulled her hand away and tried to act casual.

"My story?"

"Yes, I've just shared some very intimate information with you, and now it's your turn to return the favor."

Vilkas shrugged "There isn't much to tell. Jergen brought my twin brother Farkas and me here when we were just toddlers. Whether he was our father or not, I don't care. He left to join the Great War and never came back. We've been here ever since. The Companions are the only family I ever needed."

"So how did you become a werewolf?"

"That's… private."

She raised an eyebrow at him.

"It's complicated. It's not my secret to tell, and we're going to leave it at that."

Estelle rolled her eyes but said "Fine. But you are looking to cure yourself, are you not?"

"Yes."

"I think I can help you with that, even if you can't help me." Estelle said as she produced a book from her bag and showed it to him.

"'On Daedric Curses by Eloise Lalune.' Is Eloise your mother?"

"Yes, and Daedric curses were her specialty before she died. She outlines all sorts of ways curses can be applied and broken. I'm sure you can find something in here that will help you."

Vilkas reached for the book, but Estelle took it away.

"I'm afraid I can't give this to you. This tome has already been bought and paid for by the College of Winterhold. And let me tell you, I thought I would never get it back. I nearly lost it when the dragon attacked Helgen, but fortunately, the legion still kept my belongings in a carriage, so I was able to grab it before making my escape. I just wanted to let you know that the book exists and where you could find it."

"Wait, a dragon attacked Helgen? And what were you doing in the custody of the Legion?"

Estelle smirked "That, I think, is a story for another time."

"So this copy is going to the College of Winterhold? Don't they only let their own members use their research material."

"I don't know. But if you have no luck with them, you can contact my father. I'm sure he has a few copies and I know he'd be willing to lend a helping hand. His name is Girard Lalune, and he lives in Shornhelm, Rivenspire, High Rock."

"So what will you do now?" Vilkas said.

"Well, like I said, I do need to see the Greybeards. As for what I'm going to do with my research? I'm not sure yet. Maybe something will come to me when I'm traveling."

"Well, wherever your journey takes you, you're quite welcome here. I don't dislike your company."

"Likewise."

Vilkas spoke cautiously "Although, you do realize, that as a werewolf, I have eaten people."

Estelle was silent for a moment "Unless I'm mistaken, you have a separate wolf spirit living inside you that drives you. So it's not quite the same."

"You've done your research it seems." Vilkas said, feeling more relieved than he cared to admit "Well, I'm not sure how I can help you, but I'll let you know if I think of something relevant."

"That would be very much appreciated. I better get going though." She grasped his hand "And thank you, for not laughing at me, for listening to my story, and for helping me. Just, thank you."

Vilkas squeezed her hand back "Of course."

And once again, Vilkas found himself wishing he would see her again as she walked out of sight.

 _Author's Note: Ah, how I've missed this! I do apologize for the long absence. Not long after I posted my last chapter, my boyfriend of six years broke up with me. Needless to say, I was devastated and had to focus my energies into getting my life back together, and not writing. But even as I recovered, I found it difficult to get back into the habit. But for whatever reason, the universe led me back here, so hopefully I'll be able to update regularly._


	5. Chapter 5

With another fragment of Wuuthrad finally discovered, Vilkas decided it was time to start seriously investigating a cure for their lycanthropy. Kodlak had believed the key was at Ysgramor's tomb, but they all lacked the magical understanding to figure out how everything fit together. So he decided to take Estelle's advice and go up to the College of Winterhold to find the book written by her mother.

The end of the first day's journey landed him in Windhelm. He was greeted by the sight of two people brawling in the streets. Figures, Windhelm wasn't exactly at the height of society, as much as it pretended to be. It seemed to be between a Nord man, Rolf Stone-Fist if we wasn't mistaken, and a petite woman in mage robes. The Nord threw a punch that landed squarely on the jaw of the woman, which knocked her down and threw off her hood, revealing that it was Estelle. Of course it was Estelle, she seemed to have a habit of popping up. Vilkas stepped in between them before Rolf could get any closer.

"You would strike this woman?"

"If you can call that a woman, she's Breton, practically an elf!" Rolf spat.

Estelle spat the blood out of her mouth before getting back up "And you call yourself a man? Only the most pea-brained, in-bred fool relies on his race to feel superior."

Rolf advanced towards her again with his fist raised, but Vilkas stopped him "If you want to hurt her, you have to get through me."

Rolf lowered his fist and muttered "She ain't even worth it."

"I suppose I should thank you," Estelle said as she wiped the blood from her mouth "I must admit, I'm not the best in a fist fight."

"If you're not the best in a fist fight, then why did you further antagonize him? I thought you were supposed to be smart." Vilkas said.

"I'm also angry." Estelle said.

"You know, you really didn't have to do that, not that I didn't find it satisfying to watch him get punched in the face." A dark elf woman that Vilkas had just noticed said.

"I know, but like I said, I'm angry, and people like that are a blight on the world."

The dark elf chuckled "No argument there. Why don't you come with me? I'll get you cleaned up. I'll take you to the corner club. It's not as nice the Candlehearth Hall, but I assure you it's better company."

"I'll take you up on that, Suvaris. Are you coming, Vilkas?" Estelle said.

"I suppose." He had been planning on staying in Windhelm for the night. He might as well catch up with Estelle.

"It's good to see you, by the way." Estelle said "What brings you here?"

"I was just on my way to Winterhold, thought I'd find that book you recommended. What brings you here?"

"An attack on my life."

"Really? You've only been here a few weeks and you've already made an enemy?"

"Considering my violent past, this doesn't surprise me, but I'm afraid I don't know anything about this one. Someone named Miraak sent some assassins after me, claiming I was a false Dragonborn or something. All I know is that he's holed up in Solsteim somewhere."

"Sounds dangerous. I don't suppose you'd like someone to accompany you?"

Estelle smirked "Trying to do business, eh? Well, I appreciate the offer, but I can handle myself. Besides, I can't afford it and you have somewhere you need to be yourself."

"I've had this problem for years, what's a few weeks? And I won't charge you, consider it an offer from a friend. Besides, I am curious to see what you're like in battle when we're fighting alongside each other, not against each other."

"Well, if you insist, fighting in numbers is always safer. Thank you, we'll leave for Solsteim tomorrow."

/

The investigation into the attack on Estelle's life was turning out to be a bit more complicated than anticipated. Everyone they interrogated seemed to go into a daze every time the name Miraak was brought up. But eventually, someone remembered enough to direct them to a temple on the northeast part of the island. They had walked less than a mile through the seemingly deserted outskirts of the city when they were greeted with an unusual sight; a guard being attacked by three humanoid creatures that seemed to be made out of sand and fire.

"What are those?" Estelle said.

"I was hoping you'd know, you're the daedric expert."

Estelle shook her head. "These don't look like any daedra I've ever seen. In any case, we'd better help him."

"Right." Vilkas said as he unsheathed his greatsword.

Vilkas charged at the nearest creature with his sword held high and a battle cry on his lips. His heart lurched when he saw a frost atronach step out of a portal next to him. However, his unease was quickly quelled when he saw the atronach drive its spiked arm into one of the creatures, simultaneously realizing that it must have belonged to Estelle.

Several ethereal indigo arrows flew past his head as he contended with one of the beasts. The creature on the receiving end of these arrows rushed past him and towards his attacker. Estelle's onslaught of arrows hardly impeded the sand creature. With the help of the guard, Vilkas quickly finished off the creature before him. Before even catching his breath, Vilkas turned and pursued the creature that was now mere feet away from a very nervous-looking Estelle. She backed away with her bow still trained on her attacker. She knew that as soon as she released her arrow, she'd be vulnerable as she either reloaded or summoned a weapon better suited for close quarters combat. She hoped these creatures didn't hit as well as they took hits. But as soon as she released her arrow, a large sword cut into the beasts shoulder from behind. The body crumbled into a heap on the ground. Estelle flashed Vilkas a grateful smile before turning her attention and her bow to the last creature standing. One final arrow from her took down the final creature that stood between her atronach and the guard.

"Jokull! Are you okay?" Estelle said as she ran towards the atronach and the guard.

Vilkas was surprised that she knew the Dunmer guard, until he realized she was talking to the atronach, not the guard. Jokull the atronach let out a groan, but it seemed fine, though Vilkas was hardly fit to judge the condition of a daedra.

Estelle gently placed a hand on her atronach "You did great, thank you my friend, you can go back to Oblivion now."

The atronach disappeared into a similar portal from whence it came.

Estelle then turned her attention to the guard "Are you okay?"

"I am now. Thanks... I wasn't sure I'd make it off this farm alive. I wish I could have said the same for my man here." He said, indicating a fallen guard.

"What are those creatures? I've never seen anything like them."

"Some of the guard have taken to calling them 'ash spawn.' I don't care what they're called... all I know is they're a danger to Raven Rock and they need to be stopped."

Vilkas sheathed his sword and made his way over to Estelle and the guard. Estelle truly was unlike any mage he had ever met. He had seen mages summon atronachs for use in battle, but he had never seen a mage show them anything resembling affection. She had even named it. He had to admit, it warmed his heart to see that she showed humanity towards creatures that others considered tools at best and monsters at worst. Then again, he shouldn't be surprised. She had shown him kindness even though she knew he was a monster.

"Good luck with your ash spawn problem, Captain Veleth. I really wish I could help more." Estelle said, bringing Vilkas's attention back to the present. "But we really should be on our way. Vilkas, let's go."

"Good luck with your Miraak problem, he could be even more dangerous than these ash spawn." Captain Veleth said.

Estelle and Vilkas set off once more in the direction of the temple.

"Jokull?" Vilkas said after a few minutes of silence.

"Oh, um, yes." Estelle said a bit self-consciously "It's an old Nord name that means 'glacier'. I thought it seemed fitting when I first summoned him as a girl."

"Not many mages name their atronachs."

"I owe my atronachs so much. The least I can do is treat them with respect. It is because of them that I've never been afraid to travel alone. Although, I must confess, I'm glad you came with me this time. I don't know what would have happened if you didn't get to that ash spawn in time. So, thank you."

A blush involuntarily touched his cheeks at her words. But the fact that she was hiding her face in her hood made him wonder if she was blushing too.

"You're welcome."

/

As the sky dimmed, Estelle and Vilkas realized that the temple was too far away to make in a single day. They used the last remaining light to find a good place to set up camp. While Vilkas set up their tents, Estelle busied herself with the fire.

"So, you believe in destiny?" Vilkas said when the fire was roaring and there was food in their hands.

"That's right." Estelle said after swallowing her bit of dried meat.

"How do you know what your destiny is?"

"It has its ways of revealing itself to you."

"How did you know that your destiny was to find a way to kill the Daedric Princes?"

"After my mother was killed, I figured that had to be it." Estelle's voice had an edge of bitterness "Why else would something so horrible happen? I refuse to believe that something like that happened for no reason. Something good must come out of it."

"What if your destiny is something else?"

Estelle furrowed her brows "Like what?"

"I don't know, something to do with you being the only dragonborn to show up since the Septims?"

Estelle nodded "I think it does tie in with what I'm doing. I mostly see being dragonborn as having access to more power. I can't think of a cause more in need of great power than mine. What do you think your destiny is?"

Vilkas shrugged "Not sure I have one."

"Everyone does, it's just that some have bigger destinies than others."

"I've been with the Companions my whole life, I have no reason to believe I'd do anything else."

"I suppose that in itself is a destiny."

The bitterness that crept its way into Estelle had turned what would otherwise be a natural silence into an uncomfortable one.

"Last time we met, you told me you would tell me the story of the dragon attack at Helgen."

The bitterness melted away and a smirk took its place "You're right, I did. Well, while I was traveling to from Cyrodiil to Skyrim, I happened across a skirmish between the Legion and the Stormcloaks…"

/

When they reached the temple, it became apparent that Estelle wasn't the only one pursuing Miraak. In addition to harassing Estelle, Miraak had been entrancing people around the island to do some building projects and a Skaal woman named Frea was trying to stop him. Although they shared an enemy, it was clear from the beginning that the two would not remain friends when all this was over. As soon as Estelle summoned her flame atronach, Frea gave her a dirty look. Not that this surprised her, she knew that the Skaal distrusted all things daedric even more than most common folk. If she was being honest, she was not a fan of the Skaal either. How arrogant must their deity be to claim to be an All-maker? And she did not care for their way of life, doing only the bare minimum that life requires instead of striving for something better or contributing to society as a whole. Still, she would bear with this alliance until their mutual enemy was destroyed. Frea must have had the same thought, for although her distaste for her was apparent, she did not actively try to pick a fight with her either.

As they went deeper into the temple, Frea commented on the strange statuaries that kept showing up. Estelle thought the imagery looked familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on where she had seen it before. It wasn't until they reached the final chamber that she realized what she had been looking at.

"What is that?" Vilkas said as he eyed the book on the pedestal.

"This book... It seems wrong, somehow. Here, yet... not. It may be what we seek." Frea said.

"I know exactly what that is, it's a Black Book!" Estelle said, hardly containing her excitement "I've never actually seen one."

"What does it do?" Vilkas said.

Estelle walked over to the pedestal and picked up the Black Book "It should take my consciousness directly to Apocrypha, the realm of Hermaeus Mora."

"What are you doing?" Frea exclaimed as Estelle began to open the book "If you know what it is, then why are you using it? That thing is dark and dangerous, we should take it to my father immediately!"

Estelle scoffed "I'm almost certain I know more about this book than your father does. Besides, this is the best way to investigate."

Estelle opened the book before Frea could say another word. When she went transparent, Frea turned to Vilkas.

"I fear for your companion, she appears to have an interest in dark things that are better left alone."

Vilkas was not blind to the animosity between them, and he had done his best to remain neutral. He wanted to defend Estelle, but he also didn't want to stoke the fire. So he simply said "Sometimes it's good to know about dark things, for that allows you to better defend yourself against them."

"Perhaps that is true, but it is still a dangerous path to follow. If I may offer a word of warning, don't let your feelings for her cloud your judgement of her."

"Feelings? What are you…?"

But before he could finish his sentence, Estelle became opaque again. She shook herself out of her daze and said "Well that was a waste of time."

"I thought you said you knew about these things." Frea said, with a hint of smugness in her voice.

"I do!" Estelle said defensively "It's just that this specific book isn't giving me the answers I need. It was strange. I saw Miraak, and he taunted me before flying off on a dragon. Then some of Hermaeus Mora's seekers sent me back here."

This seemed to catch Frea's attention "You saw Miraak? Where? Where is he? Can we reach him? Can we kill him?"

"Yes, I think it's possible, but I need more information. I suppose we can go see your father and see what he knows."

Frea took the lead and Estelle and Vilkas followed her out of the temple and towards the Skaal village. Estelle remained a few steps behind her and Vilkas walked next to her. She was quiet, but her face was set in a frown that told him that something was on her mind.

"Something troubling you?" Vilkas said after making sure they were out of Frea's earshot.

"The thought had occurred to me, you know, to use Hermaeus Mora for my mission."

"Oh? What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, he's a hoarder of knowledge. If there's anyone who knows how to kill a Daedric Prince, it's him. However, I never took the thought too seriously for a couple of reasons. First of all, even if he did have this knowledge, he wouldn't share it readily, since it is information that would make him vulnerable to me. I'm sure he would demand something immense for the knowledge I seek. Second, I thought my chances of contacting him were slim to none. The only way to reach him is if he decides to contact you directly or through a Black Book, and Black Books aren't exactly easy to come by. But I did come by one, so I think this route to my goal deserves some reconsideration."

"So if you do meet him, and he has the knowledge, what do you think he'll ask for in return?" Vilkas said, trying to hide his nervousness.

"Most likely he will want more knowledge, but I have no idea what knowledge I could offer him that he doesn't already have." Estelle sighed "This may yet be a long shot, but if I do meet him, I guess it can't hurt to ask."

/

It wasn't long until Estelle's journey took her directly to Hermaeus Mora, as she hoped. They eventually came to the conclusion that Miraak was using a Shout to enslave the citizens of Solsteim and that Estelle had to use the same Shout to defeat him. They also concluded that they would need another Black Book, so they sought one out with the help of a Telvanni wizard named Neloth. After discovering the book in some Dwemer ruins, she wasted no time and read it right there in the chamber. Neloth had told her that she should find the answers she sought when she reached what appeared to be the end, but she was hoping that Hermaeus Mora would make a personal appearance. Though she was tired after fighting her way through this eerie slice of Oblivion, she ran forward when she saw a mass of tentacles and eyeballs floating above a copy of the Black Book on a pedestal.

"All seekers of knowledge come to me sooner or later." He spoke slowly in a booming voice.

Estelle's lips twitched into a smile "So I finally get to meet you, Hermaeus Mora. Do you know who I am?"

"I have heard many whispers about you, Estelle Lalune. You are Dragonborn, like Miraak before you. You are a seeker of knowledge and power, particularly you wish to see a Daedric Prince slain."

Estelle smiled even wider "It pleases me to see that you live up to your reputation. Yes, I wish to learn of a way to slay the Daedric Princes, but let's begin with my more pressing concern. I came here to learn Miraak's secrets."

"All that he knows he learned from me. I know what you want: to use your power as Dragonborn to bend the world to your will. Here, then, is the knowledge you need, although you did not know you needed it. The second word of power, use it to bend the wills of mortals to your purpose."

Estelle heard the word "HAH" in her mind and she was filled with the essence of the word.

"But this is not enough." Hermaeus Mora continued "Miraak knows the final word of power. Without that, you cannot hope to surpass him. Miraak served me well and was rewarded. I can grant you the same power he wields, but all knowledge has its price."

"So what's your price for the final word of power?"

"Knowledge for knowledge. The Skaal have withheld their secrets from me for many long years. The time has come for their knowledge to be added to my library."

Estelle took a deep breath "And what would you ask for the other knowledge that I seek?"

"Such knowledge would demand a heavy price indeed."

"Miraak speaks of rebellion against you. I could kill him for you."

Hermaeus Mora laughed "You think I cannot kill him myself? This is my realm, he resides in. Besides, it is also to your benefit if you kill him, was that not your original quest? But I am intrigued. If you defeat Miraak, we shall talk further. I shall have a price for you by then. If not, then you were not worthy of such secrets in the first place."

Estelle nodded "Fair enough. I will not fail."


End file.
